


Pride and Arrogance

by Noctilucence



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/M, Fluff, Prompt Fic, Snark, i'm a sucker for lotor being an actual softie beneath the calculating princely exterior, soft lotura i wanted so soft lotura you shall get, teach me how to tag, with some SPOICE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 00:11:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctilucence/pseuds/Noctilucence
Summary: Modern fantasy AU: Lotor and Allura have inherited a civil war their fathers have started; the fastest way to end it is to pretend to be together so their people will agree to coexist peacefully even though they kind of hate each other.None of that matters when they find themselves puffed out, dazed and naked next to each other.





	Pride and Arrogance

In any other situation, the sounds of their rapid, shallow breathing wouldn’t have sounded so scandalous.  
If they had ran from the masses of screaming fans, if they had gone on a difficult hike, maybe.

If they weren’t lying side by side, stark naked, maybe.

If only, Allura thought, clutching the blankets to her chest. Her gaze slid to Lotor lying next to her, lying shamelessly naked with his mouth gaping open in great big gasps, trying to catch his breath. Had she not been so puffed out herself, she would have snickered at the sight.

Lotor groans as the air in his lungs burned.

              “Where did that come from?” he huffs.

Allura rolls her eyes. None of this had surprised her; weeks of thinly veiled insults, taunts and forced close proximity only ever lead to one thing.

              "Gods _alive_ , Allura. Quite the beast when no one’s looking, aren’t you?” Lotor smirks.

Her eyes narrowed, unsure whether it was something to take offense at or a genuine flirt.  
It could’ve been both.

              “Looks like you’re not as strong as you think you are.” She replies smugly.  
              “Fearless leader you are _not_ , when it comes to matters of _intimacy._ ”

Lotor concedes with a light chuckle.

              “Well, luckily I was in good hands.” He smiles at her, turning onto his side to face her.  
              “ _Very_ good hands.”  Lotor grins.

Allura wanted to scowl, but the effort of trying to keep the face broke her into a small laugh.

The ensuing silence is broken by the sounds of their steadying breaths and the ruffle of sheets.

              “This is nice.” Lotor comments.

              “What?”

              “Not fighting.”

Allura pouts.  
              “You make it sound like we always fight.”

Lotor raises an eyebrow at her, unamused.

              “You make it sound like we don’t.”

Allura bit her lip; she had to accept defeat there. They had indeed bitten and clawed at each other behind closed doors, be it through passive destruction of belongings, vulgar exchanges of poorly chosen words—she had been so busy defending her territory of independence, trying so _hard_ to push her anger at her father that she hadn’t quite stopped to think about much else— _anyone_ else.

Lotor sighs.

              “I’m tired of coming to blows with you all the time.  
              I’m sure we’re both capable of being civil individuals. We _are_ mature adults, yes?”

 Allura looks at the prince’s face; far from the easy-going, charismatic glamour he wore for the public, he seemed serious and focused; a small frown replaced his earlier smile.

  
Had she…hurt his feelings?

Accidentally, of course. She had never been aware of any _feelings_ to hurt in the first place. She’d simply assumed he was in very much the same position as her—forced into an engagement for the sake of the masses—people who weren’t even involved in her personal affairs.

Because her father said so.

And so, she hated Alfor for the first time in her life. Allura had unassumingly pushed that hatred towards the other unwitting victim of their fathers’ mistakes.  
She’d never thought he would take it so _personally._

              “I suppose we can…talk.”

Lotor seems satisfied with her answer. He hums in agreement and eyes her carefully as he slowly reached out to touch her. Allura watched silently; she didn’t object—they’d done far worse than touch each other in the past hour—the hand brushed against her cheek before resting behind her neck.

It was oddly comforting; Lotor’s thumb gently circles around the join of her shoulder.

              “Do you hate me?” he asks quietly.

Allura’s tentative gaze becomes irritation and an arrow-like anger.

              “I hate that I don’t have a choice.

              I hate that I’m being treated like… _property_.  
              I’m supposed to be royalty, yet I don’t even have a say in the matter. I’m a glorified prisoner.”

              “Better to be in a golden cage than to starve on the wings of freedom.”  
  
She scoffs inwardly.

              "I think it's supposed to be the other way around.  
              I’d sooner die than live a life that is not my own.” Allura declares confidently.

Lotor chuckles.  
              “Is that so.”

              “Can I ask you something too?” Allura inquires.

              “What is it?”

              “What makes you say that? To want to live according to the will of others?”

              “I believe the key word is _living_ , dear princess. There are far worse things in the world than a little compromise.  
              And I like to think that I’m not as terrible of a fellow as you make out to be.”

She doesn’t quite want to apologise; in her mind, she had every reason to believe that he was in fact, someone who toyed around with people’s emotions and deceived them. But Allura is no stranger to diplomacy, and she purses her lips in silence. Even if the mighty Prince Lotor is nowhere near as noble hearted as she was, he didn’t seem like the type to needlessly hurt others.

At least they shared that; a pacifist outlook on life. Though from two very different viewpoints. Hers was a (more) altruistic reach towards justice and righteousness than his. The means had to justify the ends.

              “Do you regret it?” he asked.

              “Regret what?”

              “ _This._ ”

She was very aware that this was no longer the two of them throwing verbal daggers at each other—he was, in particular, _bare_ in more ways than one.

It didn’t mean anything.

              “There’s nothing to regret.”  
  
Allura takes a moment to hope she had said the right half of her thoughts.

Lotor seems relieved; the childlike fear disappears from his face into a relaxed grin.  
She wanted to laugh at him.

              “Why did you look so _worried_?”

Lotor turns over away from her.  
              “ _I’m not very good at dealing with rejection_.”

There was something about the way his voice seemed to decrescendo, until the very last word was little more than a mumble. She put it down to being tired and sentimental, but she did not fight the urge to wrap herself flush to his back, her arm following the line of his own until their fingers were knotted together. Lotor did not object by shrugging her off or untangling their limbs.

_“I suppose…I don’t hate you._ ” Allura whispers into his ear.   
_"To answer your question._  
                _Is that enough for now?”_

He seems to hum in response as his breathing slows and evens out. Whether he had heard her properly was a mystery.

Lotor was warm next to her; she didn’t want to admit it, but it was not a terrible feeling.

That she enjoyed it upset the princess further.  
Duty and desire were beginning to blur, and she did not appreciate the colours of her life palette beginning to blend together.

**Author's Note:**

> I CHEATED, I was looking for inspo for secret santa fics via prompt generators and instead of working on those, I got this instead. Procrastinating on my other fics by...writing more. Amazing.   
> I am currently experimenting with formatting, to make it easier to read; let me know if it works!
> 
> I kid about prompts being cheats. Don't be afraid to use them if you're in a slump ! I am having so much trouble right now, getting this out was a miracle only made possible with the help of prompts.
> 
> Finally: the title is the name of the Fire Emblem track I was listening to when this idea came up.


End file.
